Requiem for a Jazz Season

First, Game 4:

- The Jazz lost 87-81. Their shooting woes continued. Gordon Hayward, Alec Burks and Josh Howard were a combined 0-17 from the floor. The Jazz as a team were 0-13 from 3. The Spurs defense is really good, but not that good. The Jazz also missed 9 free throws. 9 missed free throws, lost by 6. Woulda, coulda, shoulda.

- Paul Millsap was a man fighting and fighting, but it was a stark reminder that he's only 6'7". He shot 4-17, but managed to grab 19 rebounds, and he was +11 in his 41 minutes. And when the Jazz were only down four with 20 seconds to go, he bobbled the pass from Harris, allowing Ginobili to steal it and run back for a layup to put them up six.

- Al Jefferson outplayed Tim Duncan. Unfortunately with Derrick Favors in the starting lineup, the Jazz had no bench. The Spurs bench outscored them 57-10.

Player Evaluations:

DERRICK FAVORS (soph) - The future. Their best defender, and he's good at going to the line. He needs to average 35 minutes a game next year and start all 82. He needs to improve his free-throw shooting.

GORDON HAYWARD (soph) - He got the playing time, but the playoffs showed he still has a lot of work to do. He needs to be more consistent and refine his outside shooting.

ALEC BURKS (rook) - He had a lot of DNP-CD's in favor of Raja Bell and CJ Miles. That won't happen next year. Not a bad rookie year; sky's the limit for him. I look forward to seeing what a full off-season will do for him.

ENES KANTER (rook) - Very, very raw. He's good at holding his space and rebounding. But he hasn't played that many games in his life. A worthy project, but still a project.

PAUL MILLSAP (1 year remaining) - He's the heart of this team and now one of the longest-tenured members. Gone are D-Will, Boozer, AK and Memo. Paul's about hit his ceiling. He had career highs in steals and rebounds. He will win you some games, but you're not getting out of the first round if he's the best player on your team. But if he's your third, look out.

AL JEFFERSON (1 year remaining) - Offensively he was the Jazz's best player. His problem is that he never got to the free throw line and was inefficient in his possessions. Sure, he'd score 20, but it'd take 21 shots to get there. My guess is either he or Paul will be moved for a shooter, but the Jazz may try to keep all of them and starting Paul at the small forward. Jefferson said he'd like to finish his career in Utah.

DEVIN HARRIS (1 year remaining) - Took him half the season to figure it out, but he played well down the stretch. He's not the prototypical Jazz point guard, but it's up to Corbin and company to make Harris's strengths work for them.

EARL WATSON (1 year remaining) - They could have used his tenacity in the playoffs but injury ended his season. Good guy to have on the team, even though his skills are obviously diminishing.

RAJA BELL (1 year remaining) - Clearly has a problem with coach Corbin and he wants to get moved. I'm sure the Jazz will oblige if they can find someone willing. If they can't, they'll probably amnesty him. Last thing a young locker-room needs is a veteran cancer. And it's not all his fault. He thought he was signing with a Deron Williams-led playoff team. He doesn't want to be on a young, rebuilding team.

JAMAAL TINSLEY (team option) - All indications are that he's a great locker room guy. He got destroyed in Game 4, and the only way I see them bringing him back is if they wind up throwing in Watson in a multi-player trade.

CJ MILES (free agent) - Based on his exit interview, seems pretty clear he won't be back. He's been with the Jazz since 2005, but he has issues with Corbin, his 3-pt shooting was his worst in five years, and he went from 12.8 ppg to 9.1.

DEMARRE CARROLL (free agent) - The 27th pick in the 2009 draft has finally found a home. He was a key ingredient in the Jazz winning down the stretch just to make the playoffs. He's a hustle player.

JOSH HOWARD (free agent) - The experiment was great before his injury mid-season. He wasn't quite the same in the playoffs. He won't be back.

JEREMY EVANS (free agent) - The Slam-Dunk champion just can't get on the floor. Carroll was cut by the Nuggets, came in, and worked his way into the starting line-up. I don't see the Jazz keeping him. They could, because his alley-oops are fun, but there are better options out there.

BLAKE AHEARN (free agent) - He did what they needed him to do. They'll probably invite him to summer league, but my guess is they go a different direction for their third point-guard.

As to coach Tyrone Corbin, he still hasn't had a full off-season to plan and prepare.  Apparently his communication isn't as good as Jerry Sloan's, but many were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.  He helped this team overachieve, let's what he can do with a full season.

Big Al with Big Game

Quick thoughts on the Jazz 105-90 win over the Pistons.

- This is a game they should win. They were at home, and none of the East lottery teams are any good.

- Raja Bell wasn't with the team in Chicago after a "personal matter." Word came out it was Raja Bell unhappy with his minutes and his role on the team under coach Ty Corbin. Apparently they worked things out, because Raja Bell started. Not only did he start, but he played 27 minutes, fourth most on the team behind Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap and Devin Harris. He finished with 1 point and 4 rebounds.

Paul Millsap contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Copyright 2012 NBAE
 (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)

- Alec Burks was a DNP-CD. So the lesson to Alec is, go complain to coach.

- But hey, they won! Al Jefferson's grandmother passed away. With a heavy heart, the big man answered with 33 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocked shots, including his first 3-point shot of his career, a hilarious buzzer-beater.

- CJ Miles is a streaky shooter, but tonight he hit his streak. He had 15 points, including 3 3-pointers. The Jazz as a teams hot 7-11.

- Gordon Hayward had 8 points but only got to play 20 minutes. Derrick Favors had 6 points in 16 minutes, Enes Kanter had 2 points in 9 minutes.

- You remember how Deron Williams would circle certain games to make sure he shut superstars down? He defends Chris Paul better than anyone in the league, for example. That's the attitude Gordon Hayward needs to have to get back in the starting lineup. And that's how I hope Devin Harris treats Steve Nash on Wednesday.

- No one could guard Rodney Stuckey. He had 29 points.

- I could have sworn Ben Wallace retired last year. Can't believe he's still playing.

- It seemed like Greg Monroe and Jonas Jerebko had better games than what their stat lines indicate.

Jazz drop to 10-6

Thoughts on last night's Jazz 2OT loss to the Raptors 111-106.

- Paul Millsap should be an All-Star. Not only is he putting up the numbers, but he's outplaying the stars on the opponent's team. In the last five games, he has outplayed Andrea Bargnani, Kevin Love, Dirk Nowitzki, Blake Griffin, and Nene.

- The Jazz missed Al Jefferson last night. Derrick Favors may have grabbed 12 rebounds, but Big Al's one of the best F/C's in the league in the last four minutes of a game.

- Devin Harris was the goat in the last Jazz loss, and it looked like all was going to be forgiven here, until he missed 3 of 4 free throws in crunch time, and also threw up an airball. Many fans on #TORatUTA were clamoring for Earl Watson to sub in for Harris in the overtimes. Harris had 24 points and 6 assists. Rumors resurfaced the Jazz are looking to trade him.

- Gordon Hayward is playing without offensive confidence. His defense is fine; he tends to get a block and a steal per game lately. I think that's why Corbin left him in the for the two overtimes. But CJ Miles was aggressive offensively when he was in, and he probably deserved some late-game minutes. But Corbin's already got this team playing better than any expected, so he deserves a lot of leeway from fans as far as his decision-making goes.

- There are 50 games to go in the season. The Jazz may have been lucky to hit teams with injuries, but you know, Dallas was lucky to get the Jazz when Josh Howard couldn't play, and Toronto was lucky to get Utah when Al Jefferson couldn't play.

- Josh Howard didn't look ready to be back, but I expect him to be better next time.

- Raja Bell's been exactly what the Jazz need him to be the past week or two.

Utah beats Denver on the road

- This was the best win of this young season for the Jazz. Forget their horrendous 0-2 start. They've gone 8-2 since.

- Paul Millsap's a stud. 26 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block and 1 steal. He and Al Jefferson are the best 4/5 Jazz combo since Boozer/Okur during the WCF run.

- Another night where Earl Watson ran the offense better than Devin Harris. Still, both ended up with 7 assists apiece. Name the last time a team won the NBA Finals when the point guard was the best player on the team. Pretty sure it was Isiah Thomas's Pistons.

- Al Jefferson had a couple times he forced up shots in a double-team but for the most part one of the best improvements of his game has been learning to pass out. These guys are buying into the team concept of unselfish play.

- Jazz had six blocks. Felt like more. One reason Gordon Hayward is valuable is his length. He's 6'8" and is splitting his time between the 2 and the 3. He's turned into an effective shot-blocker in his own right.

- Alec Burks was a bundle of energy and wound up with 10 points, but he was also +12 on the floor. Watson led the team with a +15.

- The old Raja Bell is back. The tough guy who commits hard fouls and hits outisde jumpers when needed. Even he had a block.

Jeremy Evans skies for a putback dunk.

- Another impressive note: they did this without Josh Howard, who still has a left quad strain.

- Really hope Jeremy Evans gets in the dunk contest.

- Enes Kanter played 11 minutes, but Derrick Favors played only 7 minutes.

- The Jazz shot 51.8% from the floor, holding the Nuggets to 42.7%. The Nuggets were 26-39 from the free-throw line; the Jazz were 14-20.

Jazz suffocate D-Will's Nets

D-Will shot only 3-15
from the field.

- Really hated that Deron Williams got more boos than cheers at his intro. Mehmet Okur got a big cheer so at least there was some class on display.

- The Nets' offense is indecipherable. Lots of iso's, 1-on-1's. The strategy seems to be Deron Williams breaks down the defense. If he can't make something happen, he passes out for someone else to shoot a long 2, if they miss then Kris Humphries tries to grab their rebound.

- Raja Bell is getting better with every game. This was the type of output Kevin O'Connor was hoping for when he signed him.

CJ Miles shoots over his former teammate Mehmet
Okur.  Miles finished with 17 points off the bench.

- Deron Williams' shooting has been off ever since he got traded. Is it his wrist injury? Is it the offensive scheme? Is it the fact that defenses can focus on him because he does have talented teammates to pass to?

- Was hoping Devin Harris would have a bigger game, but here's a key stat: Harris finished with 6 assists, D-Will had 5.

- Nice to see Gordon Hayward rediscover his range. He was 2-2 from 3-pt land. It was also interesting how much D-Will and Hayward guarded each other. It was as thought Coach Corbin was teaching Hayward to overcome his fears.

- Two years ago today, Sundiata Gaines hit the game-winning 3 to beat LeBron's Cavaliers. Sunny D hit two three's in tonight's game, but they didn't have near the impact.

- Derrick Favors needs more time, but it's hard to take it away from Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson. The Jazz are 7-4 because of them.

- Rookie Enes Kanter had 8 rebound in under 19 minutes of play.

In other sports:

- The 49ers-Saints playoff game has to go down as one of the all-time great playoff games in history. I was very happy for Alex Smith and Vernon Davis.

- The Patriots-Broncos game was exactly the blowout I expected.  Tom Brady can try to get to his fifth Super Bowl, and Tim Tebow can go home and wonder if John Elway will use this as an excuse to find a different quarterback.

Jazz get first road win



Warriors coach Mark Jackson has seen better days

Some thoughts on the game where the Jazz beat the Warriors 88-87:

- This seemed like the first game where the bench hurt the team. The starters got the lead, the bench lost it, the starters get it back.

- It's the first time Raja Bell has seen minutes in the fourth quarter and he earned it. I'm happy for him that he was able to contribute. Pretty sure it's the first time his +/- stat at the end of the game was a +.

- One knock on Raja was that he was taking away minutes from other players that deserve more time.

- Gordon Hayward's also been struggling, and he had a great game. His 18 points was the team high.

- Derrick Favors was 12pts/10rbs in 25 minutes. Enes Kanter was 6pts/7rbs in 14 minutes.

- Paul Millsap was in foul trouble all night but he was a +18 for his 22 minutes on the floor.

- We heard the emphasis was on defense in this shortened season. That is panning out. After a 1-3 start, the Jazz are on a four-game winning streak, and defense has been the key in each game.

- Ty Corbin has been terrific lately. I love the adjustments and substitutions he makes. I disagree he has to set his rotations as soon as possible. You play well, you get on the floor. If he tightens it to a ten-man rotation, it's going to be CJ Miles who starts collecting CD-DNPs next to Jeremy Evans and Jamaal Tinsley.

- Who would have though the Jazz would be 5-3 at this point? Jazz fans figured this was a rebuilding year, a development year, and many (like me) were fine with the Jazz being a lottery team. It would mean two more first-round lottery picks in 2012, an allegedly deep draft. But once you taste winning.... the Jazz still owe a pick to Minnesota, but if it's #21, does it really matter how allegedly deep the draft is? The GSW pick will still likely be there for them, in the lottery.

Jazz beat Sixers 102-99

Thoughts on the Jazz's 102-99 victory:

- Raja Bell is in the doghouse with the fans right now, and he wasn't great on offense (1-4 shooting), but he was good on defense. Sixer's starting Jodie Meeks was held to five points.

- I liked Tyrone Corbin's coaching last night. When Devin Harris was trading scores with Jrue Holiday, Corbin yanked Harris early for Earl Watson. It allowed for Harris to play the entire second quarter. Harris was much more aggressive on offense last night, and while he's not going to get D-Will numbers in assists, he can rack up the points from the free throw line with his ability to sprint to the basket and draw fouls.

- I'd said I wanted to wait to see how this team plays at home, and they did great. Philly was a playoff team last year and they haven't made any changes. Jazz did play as a team. The assist numbers might not look great, but I counted at least four more assists Hayward would have had if the Jazz players hadn't been fouled or just missed the shot.

- Lots more movement tonight. I think part of it was Al Jefferson not being on the floor, as guys tend to stand around when he gets the ball, but also the hyper-extra effort guys tend to give when one of their star players is out.

- The Sixers are an athletic team. Very impressed with Andre Iguodala and Jrue Holiday.

- After scoring 15 points against the Nuggets, Alec Burks was a CD-DNP tonight.

- Jeremy Evans was -12 in 5 minutes of play. Josh Howard was +16. I think the starting wings are going to be hayward and Howard eventually.

- One stats I always look at is blocks + steals compared to turnovers. The Jazz had 11 turnovers but 17 blocks and steals. The Sixers had 12 turnovers with 10 blocks and steals.

- Paul Millsap's shooting was off (4-16) but he made up for it elsewhere (14 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks).

- Derrick Favors had 20 points and 11 rebounds. He also had the most floor time at 39 minutes.

Jazz lose ugly to Lakers

LAKERS 96, JAZZ 71

- No one on the Jazz could hit a shot.  Paul Millsap led the Jazz with 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting, but the Jazz shot 32.2% as a team and were 1-of-13 from 3-point land.

- Al Jefferson had 10 rebounds but was only 2-of-16 shooting.  2 of 16?!

- The Lakers were playing their third game in three nights, and yet the Jazz didn't run.  They didn't look prepared.  What was the game plan?

- Rookie Enes Kanter looked like he has a vertical jump of two inches.  Several layup attempts were short.  He finished with 5 points and 11 rebounds in 20 minutes of play.  Rookie Alec Burks had 0 points, 1 rebound and 2 assists in 5 minutes of play.

- Millsap was +3 in 27 minutes.  Derrick Favors was -26 in 18 minutes.  He did have 8 points and 6 boards.

- Devin Harris is not old.  He's only 28.  He is fast.  But he didn't run much tonight.  This team looked lost, like they need a leader and no one was stepping up.  I include the coaching staff in that.  Actually Paul Millsap showed why he could be that leader.

- Jazz now need to go play the Nuggets in Denver.  I will be shocked if the Nuggets don't win by at least 20.  Meanwhile, I expect to see a completely different team when the Jazz have their first home game.